Air cleaner and the like



Nov. 22, 1932. c A, wNsLow '1,88s,s3

AIR CLEANER AND THE LIKE Filed April 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 22, 1932. c. A. wNsLw 3 3 AIR CLEANER AND THE LIKE Filed Apfil 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 22, 1932 v UNITED STATES A.. WINSLOW, OF OAKLAND, OALIFOBNIA.

AIR. CLEAN'ER AND THE m Application filed April 25, 1932. serial No. 607348.

This invention relates to air filters, and, more particularly, to air filters for internal combustion engines and the like.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a new and improved filter havmg novel means for moistenng the filter material.

Another object of the invention is the provision of new and improved means for filtering air supplied through the breather ppe to the crank case of an automobile.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved combined oil filler tube and filter member having novel means whereby the filter material ma be easily flushed for cleaning the same wit out removal from the engine to which it is attached.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved filter member provided with means whereby the filter material is continuously moistened during the operation of the engine on which it is .25 emlployed.

further object of the invention is the provision of an air cleaner adapted to replace the crank case breather and lubricant filler pipe, now commonly used on hydrocarbon engines and the like.

Another object of the invention is the provision of new and improved air filter for internal combustions that is simple in construction, easily installed, eflicient in operation and that is self-oiling in operation. I Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken n connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an internal combustioi engine showing the device in position thereon, and with parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a section on the line'2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of the device;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a further modified form of the filter; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a still further modified form of the construction.

In the operation of an internal combustion engine, the movements of the pistons 'cause a more or less s'urging of the air into 4 contaminated, thereby injuring the bearings lubricated'there'with.

The present invention seeks to remedy this defect y the provision of means for filtering the air admitted to the crankcase.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference character 10 designates generally an internal combustion engine crankcase having the cylinders 11, crank shaft 12 and oil pan 13, as is usual in such constructions. 35 Since the detailed features ofthe operatng parts of the engine constitute no part of the present invention, it is not thought necessary to further illustrate or describe the same.

The crankcase 13 is provided with the lubricant filler-opening 14 and Secured over this opening, in any suitable manner, is the filter 8 which comprises'the inner tubular member 15 and the outer tubular member or casing 18. The inner tubular member *15 constitutes the lubricant filler tube and breather pipe for the engine. The lower end of the tubular member 15 is preferably provided with flanges 16 by means of which the same is attached to the crankcase. Prefe'- 30 ably, though not necessarily, 'the boss 17 to which the fillertube is attached and the inner end of the tubular member 15 are machined so that they make an air and oil-tight joint.

The outer end of the tubular member 15 extends upwardly and is surrounded by the casing or outer tubular member 18. The space between the inner and outer tubular members is adapted to contain filter material as will presently appear. This material is held in position by suitable filter retaining and supporting means that may be considered as the upper and lower walls of the casing which together with the inner and outer tubular members form the filter material space. These walls have openngs therein through which air is adapted to pass.

In the form of construction shown, the upper wall or filter material retaining member 19 is in the form of a spider having a pluralit of arms 190 extendinr between the side wal of the casing 21 and the tubular member 15. This retaining member is lecated some distance below the upper end of the tubular member and is also located a material distance below the top of the outer tubular member 18 of the casing whereby a space is revided above the arms 19 fer receiving ei as will presently appear. The lower wall er filter supporting member 22 of the casing is similar te the upper wall, but with I the spider arms 23 pesitioned angularly relative to the arms 19 an eighth et a turn whereby the filter material 24 may be placed in position between these perferated walls by forcing the same between the arms 19. The arms 23 being beneath the openings between the arms 19 will prevent the filter material 24 from passing entirely through the bottom wall when forced inte the filter space.

The casing is provided with a suitable closure 25 for engaging the upper end thereof. The clesure 25 is deme-shaped and is provided with a depending flange 26 for engaging the interier of the side wall 21 fer frictienallv holding the clesure in position thereen. The dome-shaped portion of the clesure is spaced from the upper end of the tubular member 15 te provide a passage fer the air' passing from the filter te and from the crank case. If desired, a sump or oil tra-p 260 is provided beneath the casing 18 fer receiving oil and sludge from the filter material 24. The upper end of the trap 26 is spaced from the lower end of the casing 18 te provide an annular air passage 27. A drain tube 28 depends from the trap 260 fer cenducting the oil and sludge from said trap. The upper end of the tubular member 15 may if desired` be fiared, as at 29. to facilitate peuring oil into the same. When it is desired te supply oil te the crankcase, the

clesure 25 is removed and `the oil peured in the tubular member 15- in the usual manner. During the filling operation anv oil spilled aceidentallv er intentienallv in the space 20 above the filter material will flush the filter material 24. The s ace above the filter material will held sfiieient oil te prevent overflow during the fiushing operation.

The filter material 24 mav be of the usual er any commercial form and under the ordinarv Operating conditions of the engine will be kept in moist condition and fiushed bv oil from the oil mist or partieles of oil that are carried out from the crankoase during' the breathing of the engine and deposited en the filter material. 4

Under conditions where there is a considerable amount of dust in the air. it may be necessary to finsh the filter 'material oceasionally by pouring oil in the space 20 without removing the filter from the-crankease, er other- 'wise disturbing the same. In the operation aeeaeae of the device, the movement of the pistons will cause air to surge in and out through the member-'15, and,- as the air passes out from the crank case, it entrains oil mist and vapor; which, on passing through the member 15, will strike the cooler closure 25 and be cendensed thereon. The deme-shaped Wall of the clesure will conduct the condensed oil dewnwardly and outwardly where it will fall by gravity on the filter material er will follow down the wall of the euter casing to said filter material. Air, in passing into the crankcase, will flow through the meistened filter material 24 which will remove dust and other foreign matter from the air. It will thus be seen that during the breathing of the engine, air passing into the crankcasc will be cleaned and the air passing out of the crankcase will carry with it suflicient oil vapor te automatically oil and flush the filter material 24.

The form of eonstructien shown in Fig. 3 difi'ers from that just disclosed in that the attachin flange 31 of the filter member 32 is arrange( at rightangles to that shown in Fig. 1 and the closure 33 is of a different form from that previously described.

In this form of Construction, the casing wall 30 of the filter member 32 is connected to the tubular member 40 at its lower end and is provided with an outwardly extending prejection 34 at its upper end having a vertical opening 35 therethreugh.

The clesure 33 is provided with a hinged extension 36 having an opening through which a pivot belt 37 is adapted te extend for pivotally er hingedly cennecting theclesure to the prejection 34.

The belt 37 has a spring 38 between the projectien 34 and a nut 39 on the bolt for resiliently holding the closure 33 in position. The closure is provided with a downwardly extending fiange 41 which is adapted to engage the upper wall of the casing 33 :fer pesitioning said closure. The clesure 33 is provided with an extension or fingerpiece 42 fer opening or closing the same. In opening the clesu'e, the same is lifted slightly by the fingerpiece 42 against the tension of the spring and isthen retated about the belt 37. The casing wall 30 has a cylindrical depending tubular member 43 through which air is admitted to the interier of the filter member 32 and through which excess oil is adapted to drain.

Preterably, though not necessarily a pipe 44 may be secured in the lower end of the tubular member 43, as by clamping the same therein.

The tube 44 is adapted te Convey the surplus oil and sludge to a position below the engine. The arrangement of the filter material and the upper and lower retaining walls 45 and 46 are substantially the same as that previously described. It is not thought necessaiy to repeat this description.

n the operation of ths form of construction, air, in passing to and from the crank case, is conducted to the filter casing by the tube 44 through which the surplus ol is also drained.

In the form of Construction shown in Fig. 4, the device is manufactured from sheet metal and comprises the inner tubular member 47 which preferably. makes a. press fit in the breather opening in the engine and' the outer wall or casing member 48 extending 'about the upper portion of the tubular member 47 in spaced relation thereto.

The lower portion of the casing or outer tubular member 48 is reduced, as at 49, for engaging the inner tubular member 47. A bead 51 limits the downward movement of the outer tubular member or casing 48 relative to the tubular member 47. The outer tubular member or casing 48 has a plurality of inwardly extending tongues 52 which constitute a support for the filter material 53. The filter material is held in position by a foraminous plate or partition member 50, having an axial, sleeve-like projection 54 through which the tube 47 extends. The upper end of the tubular member 47 is flanged over the sleeve-like projection 54, as at .55, for

retaining the same in position.

The peripheral edge of the' foraminous plate or partit-ion member 50 isseated in the annular groove in the outer tubular member 48 formed by the bead 56. The foram'inous plate 50 is located below the top of the inner and outer tubular members for forming an oil receiving chamber 57. A suitable cap or closure 60 is provided for the outer sleeve or casing 48.

In the form of construction shown, this closure comprises an upper dome-shaped portion 58 having a depending annular flange 59. The flange 59 is ofiset inwardly from the periphery of the closure 'and may, if desired, be provided with slots 61 whereby the flange may be slightly compressed for forcing the same into the upper end of the tubular member 48. The upper end of the' tubular member 48 is flanged outwardly, as at 62, and the lower edge of the depending flange 57 is curved slightly inwardly as at 64 for facilitating the attachment of the closure 60 to the outer tube 48. The closure is held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by friction, the resiliency of the depending flange being suflicient to retain the closure in closed position.- The dome-shaped portion 58 'of the closure' extends above the inner tubular member 47 for forming an air passage asin the previous Construction.

During the operation of the engine, to which the device is attached, the air entering the crankcase will pass through the openings 63 formed by the t'ongues 52, thence upwardly through the filter material 53 which removes the dust and dirt therefrom, and then through the foraminous plate 53 throu h the inner tubular member 47 into the cran case.

Air passing outwardly from the crankcase during the operation of the engine will carry with it oil vapors and'mist which will be condensed or deposited either on the domeshaped portion 58 of the closure or upon the foraminous late 50 and will flow down through the lter material 53 for oiling and fiushing the same.

In the ordinary operation of the engine, the oil vapor and mist from the crankcase will be suflicient to properly wet andflush the filter material. When the engine is operating under dusty conditions as on tractor work, in order to prevent the filter material from becoming clogged with dust, it is advisable to occasionally pour oil into the space '57 for flushing the filter material. The oil will flow down through the filter and the excess oil will escape through the opening 63.

In the form of Construction shown in Fig. 5, the device comprises an inner tubular member 65 and an outer casing or tubular member 66. The casing member 66 is provided with a bottom wall 67 through which-the tubular member 65 extends. A lower foraminous plate 68 is provided within the casng 66 and has an axial opening through which the inner tubular member 65 extends. i This plate is adapted to support the filter material 69 above the bottom wall 67 of the casing.

The foraminous plate 68 is supported by a i plurality of tongues 71 pressed inwardly from the lower portion of the side wall of the casing 66.

A foraminous plate 72 is provided above the filter material 69 for retaining the same within the casing. This plate may be held in position by any suitable means. As shown, it tapers downwardly and is provided with an opening through which the inner tubular member 65 extends and its periphery i engages an annul ar groove in the wall of the casing 66 formed by the bead 73. i

The casing 66 is provided with a dom shaped closure 74 that may be hinged, as at 75, to the top of the casing 66. A spring latch 7 6'is adapted to hold the closure in its lowered position. If desired, a conduit 77 may be attached to the upper end of the casing 66 above the bead 73 and the opposite end of the conduit is adapted to be in communication with the intake manifold of the engine for removing gasoline vapors and the r like from the crankcase of the engine. The openings 78 formed by the tongues 71 are preferably located a short distance above the bottom wall 67 of the casing so that the excess oil flowing down through the filter material will be collected in the space beneath said openings. By means of this arrangement, air drawn inward through the openings, will have a portion of the dust removed before the air enters the filter material 69.

A drain cock 7 9 is provided for draining the oil from the sump or space beneath the openings 78.

In the operation of this form of the construction, the air passing into the crankcase will enter through the openings 78, thence upward through the filter material 69 which is kept in an oiled condition for removing the dust therefrom. It will then flow through the tube into the crankcase, as in the previous constructions. When the air flows outward from the crankcase through the tube 65, the oil mist will be collected on the domeshaped closure and be conducted to the side walls of the casing and flow down onto the filter material 69. Gasoline and other vapors will be drawn into the intake manitold of the engine through the conduit 77.

In this form of the construction, as well as in the other forms, oil may be poured into the space 81 above the foraminous plate 72 for flushing the filter material 69.

' In all forms of the Construction, more or less oil will be spilled accidentally onto the filter material in supplying oil to the crankcase. In fact, it is not necessary to take the usual care in pouring oil into the oil filler as any oil that may be spilled over said filler will assist in flushing and oilin g said material.

In my application Serial No. 229,(351, filed October 29, 1927, now Patent Number 1,856,527, is disclosed the structure shown in f Figs. 1 and 2 of the present application. This present application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 570516, filed October 22, 1931, which was filed as a substitute for my rior application Serial No. 184395, filed pril 19, 1927 which stood abandoned at the time of the filing of my application, Serial No. 57 0,516.

It is thought from the foregoing taken in connection with the accompanying drawings that the Construction and operation of ny device will be apparent to those skilled in the art and that minor changes in size, shape, proportion and details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim, therefore, is:

1. An air cleaner for the breather pipe of an internal combustion engine, comprising a tube having one end flared outwardly to form a shoulder, and having an external shoulder extending about its intermediate portion, a relatively large easing extending about said tube and having an external shoulder, the lower end of said casing being contracted and engaging the shoulder on said tube, means comprising tongues 'forced inwardly from the walls of sa d casing for supporting said filter material, a foraminous member engagin g said flared end and the shoulder on said casing for holding said filter material on its supporting means, and a cap for said casing extending above said tube.

2. An air cleaner for the breather pipe of an internal combustion engine comprismg a tube having an upper flaring end, a relatively large casing surrounding said tube and having its lower end contracted, means for limiting the downward movement of said casing on said tube, said casing adjacent to said contracted portion having air openings therein, the material from the openings being bent inwardly to form a supporting screen, filter material supported by said'screen, a screen member engagin said lared end and said casing for retainng said filter material on said support, and a removable cap extending over said flared end in spaced relation thereto and removably engaging said casing.

3. A combined air cleaner and lubricant filler for internal combustion engines, comprising an upstanding inner tubular'member open' at its top and bottom, an outer tubular member, open at its top and bottom and surrounding and connected to said inner tubular member and spaccd radially -therefrom to form a filter material space, filter material within said space, `filter retaining means above and below said material for confining said material within said space each of said means having openings therethrough the upper filter retaining means being below the top of the inner tubular member, and a removable cap for the open top of said outer tubular member, said cap being spaced from the upper end of said inner tubular member and defining a chamber above the tops of the inner and outer tubular members and in open and unobstructed communication therewith, whereby When said cap is in position on said outer member, air may pass upwardly through the 'open lower end of the outer tubular member and said filter material and thence downwardly through the open top of said inner tubular member, and when said cap is removed oil pourcd in through the open top of the outer tubular member and into the space between said members will flow downwardly through said filter material and out through the open bottom of the outer tubular member for washing and reoiling said filter material, said inner tubular member being open at its top and bottom and open throughout its interior to form a lubricant filler when the cap is removed and to conduct oil vapors upwardly to the cap, when the latter is in place, so that said oil vapors may be condensed on the under side of the cap and conducted to the filter material.

4. In an air cleaner and lubricant filler, a vertically extending open inner tubular member constituting an air and lubricant conduit for an internal combustion engine, an outer tubular member extending about said 1,sse,813

inner tubular member, spaced radially therefrom and supported thereon to form a filter material space, filter material within said space, means above and below said material for confining said material within said space, said means having openings therethrough, the means above said lilter material being in a plane below the upper ends of said tubular members and defining with the inner and outer tubular members an ol-receiving chamber Whereby oil poured therein will pass downwardly through the filter material and Will be prevent-ed from fiowing downward through said inner tubular member, and a removable cap for said outer tubular member, said cap being spaced above the upper end of said inner tubular member, whereby When said cap is in position on said outer member air may pass upwardly through the open bottom of the outer tubular member and through said filter material and thence downward through said inner tubular member, and when said cap is removed oil poured in the space between the tops of said members will low downwardly through said filter material and through the open bottom of the outer tubular member for washing and reoiling said filter material, said inner tubular member being open at opposite ends and open throughout its interier, and said cap constituting a comlenser for the oilvapors forced upwardly through the inner tubular member and also a means for conducting the eomlensed oil-vapors to the filter material for flushing and oiling the Same.

5. An air cleaner and lubrieant iller for an internal eombustion engine eomprising a casing having an inner and an outer wall spaced apart and forming a ehamber surrounding said inner wall, said chan'ber being open at its top and bottom and unebstructed throughout its length, said iner wall forming a central vertical passage open at its top and bottom, filter material in the ehamber, means beneath said filter material for conneeting said walls and for supporting said filter material, said means having openings therethrough 'l'or the upward entram-.e of air and for draining downwardly exeess oil from said filter material, filter material retaining means within said chamber above said material, said neans having openings therethrough for the Upward passage of air and the downward passage of oil, and a cap closing the pper end of said casing and spaeed above the upper end of said vertical passage Whereby air entering through the open lower end of the casing and passing upwardly through said filter material in a direction opposite from the downward low of oil therethrogh is 'free to enter the open top of and flow downvardly through said passage, said filter material retainng means being below the upper ends of said walls -whereby a space is provided at the top of CHARLES A. WINSLOW. 

